Diplomacy in Israel and Qatar. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel today, where he is discussing the aftermath of Israel’s deadly strike in Doha last week. Rubio said ahead of the trip that Washington is “not happy” about the strike, which risked undermining Gaza truce talks. Separately, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are meeting today in Doha for an emergency summit about their response to the strike.
Second NATO Nation Reports Russian Drone. Romania summoned Russia’s ambassador yesterday to protest a Russian drone entering its airspace. Moscow did not immediately comment on the incursion, which European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called a “reckless escalation.” It comes after NATO forces shot down Russian drones that violated Polish airspace last week.
U.S.-China trade talks. Senior officials from both countries kicked off multiday trade talks yesterday in Madrid. The negotiations will cover an ongoing tariff truce as well as TikTok’s impending deadline to divest from its Chinese owner or face a ban. Ahead of the talks, the United States announced it was adding certain Chinese chip companies to a trade blacklist, while China said it was opening an anti-dumping probe into some U.S. chips; today, China said it found U.S. chipmaker Nvidia violated its antitrust laws.
Call for a Sudan truce. The United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) jointly called Friday for a three-month truce that could pave the way to ending the war in Sudan. The four countries said they would “exert all efforts” to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict. They comprise a complex web of allegiances in Sudan’s war: the Sudanese army accuses the UAE of backing its opponent, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia have backed the army. Neither warring party immediately commented.
Australian climate report. Australia’s government today presented its first ever climate risk report, which details the human and economic costs for the country of different global warming scenarios. The direct costs of floods, fires, and storms could reach more than $26 billion per year by 2050, even if global warming is limited to 1.5℃ (2.7℉), the study found. The government is using the report to guide its upcoming 2035 emissions target.
Venezuelan boat boarded. Venezuela’s foreign minister accused U.S. forces of boarding a Venezuelan fishing boat in its territorial waters and blocking communication from the vessel for eight hours. The White House did not immediately comment. The United States has a naval deployment off Venezuela’s coast that it says is aimed at countering drug trafficking.
China-Pakistan defense ties. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari became the first foreign head of state yesterday to visit the campus of Chinese defense firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Pakistan used AVIC fighter jets in a border conflict with India earlier this year. Zardari said the countries would continue to boost defense industrial cooperation; Chinese weaponry already makes up four-fifths of Pakistan’s stockpile.
Gang violence in Haiti. UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned a gang massacre that killed more than forty people in a village near the Haitian capital. Guterres has called for UN member states to strengthen a Kenyan-led multinational security force in Haiti. Washington and Latin American countries are calling for that force to expand from under one thousand to over five thousand personnel and to broaden its authorities.
